HIGHLIGHTS

Soulslike games can be challenging, but Dark Souls still sets the standard, though newer releases like Elden Ring are changing the landscape.
Some players may prefer easier Soulslike games such as Another Crab’s Treasure, Hellpoint, or The Last Faith for a less punishing experience.
Games like Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and Mortal Shell offer unique mechanics and learning curves that can make the experience easier over time.

Soulslike games are notoriously difficult, but they generally do a great job of giving players all the necessary tools to deal with any challenges that might come their way. While arguably no longer the case thanks to releases like Elden Ring, Dark Souls is still the genre’s defining property and could be most people’s first exposure to Soulslikes.

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These Open-World games are a great selection of games that ensure their worlds are filled with meaningful content that makes its world feel alive.

FromSoftware’s 2011 masterpiece packs a considerable punch in terms of difficulty, to the point that it could put off newcomers who are still taking their first steps into the genre. Consequently, some players might prefer to try out a few easier Soulslike games.

Difficulty can be subjective to an extent, so someone’s mileage might vary.

Updated July 18, 2024 by Mark Sammut: Every month seems to produce a new Soulslike game, and they often seem to be stuck in an endless battle to determine the “hardest” option. Nowadays, Dark Souls’ difficulty is kind of the median point; therefore, it is still very challenging but not necessarily the most challenging. Naturally, there are plenty of easier Soulslike games too.

12 Another Crab’s Treasure

Simpler Boss Battles & Streamlined Weapon System

Another Crab’s Treasure

Platform(s)PC , PS5 , Nintendo Switch , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
ReleasedApril 25, 2024
Developer(s)Aggro Crab
Publisher(s)Aggro Crab

Another Crab’s Treasure comes from Aggro Crab, the studio responsible for the 2020 title Going Under. Aggro Crab is a development company that’s known for a couple of things, such as:

Their humor
Their art style
The bright colors their games primarily feature
And how fun their games are to play

Another Crab’s Treasure has all of these elements and more. It is not only a Soulslike but also a platformer and an all-around delightful experience. While some of the new mechanics the game introduces to the subgenre, such as a shell mechanic that ties unique moves to (essentially) armor, can take some getting used to, Another Crab’s Treasure is, by and large, a fairly easy Soulslike. Brutal difficulty is not really the point, which is perfectly fine.

11 Hellpoint

As Horrifying as Bloodborne, But Not Nearly as Horrifyingly Difficult

Hellpoint

Platform(s)PS5 , Nintendo Switch , PS4 , Xbox One , PC
ReleasedJuly 30, 2020
DeveloperCradle Games
PublishertinyBuild

Hellpoint has a lot of parallels to Bloodborne, one of From Software’s most well-known Soulslike games. Both games have a major theme of eldritch horror, cosmic horror, and the concept of humanity messing with old powers that should not be messed with. That said, Hellpoint has a lot more of its focus on the cosmic horror side of things than Bloodborne does, while the latter leans more on the eldritch side of things. Mechanically, Hellpoint doesn’t really hold a candle to Bloodborne.

The game is good, and the controls are responsive, but they’re nowhere near as polished as Bloodborne’s are, and it can lead a lot of the boss battles in Hellpoint feeling like they’re a bit of a dice roll. Still, Hellpoint is easier than any of FromSoftware’s SoulsBorne releases, especially since the game prioritizes exploration quite a bit. Boss fights can offer a challenge, though.

10 The Last Faith

Fun 2D Soulslike Metroidvania That Is Fairly Easy

The Last Faith

Platform(s)PS5 , PS4 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC
ReleasedNovember 15, 2023
Developer(s)Playstack
Publisher(s)Kumi Souls Games

Starting things off with a relatively recent Soulslike, The Last Faith is a great representation of the genre’s ties to Metroidvanias. Games like Hollow Knight, Salt & Sacrifice, Grime, Blasphemous, and more all fit into this sub-category, and almost all of them are fantastic. The Last Faith unabashedly wears its inspirations on its sleeve, as anyone who even watches a tiny bit of footage can see the heavy Bloodborne, Blasphemous, and Castlevania influences everywhere.

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The best PS5 RPGs find ways to push the console to its limits, providing players with an engrossing experience unlike anything else that came before.

All that said, as a game, The Last Faith is probably one of the better representations of a 2D Soulslike, transferring most of Dark Souls‘ core mechanics in the process. Players light ‘bonfires’ that can be used as fast travel, drop their currency on death, find and send NPCs back to their hub area to function as merchants, and much more. But, when it comes to difficulty, this is probably the one area where players will wish The Last Faith was even more similar to a Souls game since it’s a bit too easy, at least for anyone who has a decent amount of experience with these types of games.

9 Steelrising

Average Difficulty + Assist Mode

Steelrising

Platform(s)PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
ReleasedSeptember 8, 2022
Developer(s)Spiders

Funnily enough, in recent years, two separate Soulslike games have come out that feature an automaton as the main protagonist. Both Lies of P and Steelrising have a puppet main character (Aegis & Pinocchio) who are fighting to save a crumbling world and are set in a very steampunk-inspired setting.

However, while Lies of P is pretty darn difficult and features an extremely challenging final boss fight, Steelrising‘s challenge level most falls in the middle of the pack for the genre, and that is before taking into account Assist Mode. On a standard playthrough, Steelrising arguably gets easier as the campaign progresses and repetition sets in. The boss fights are regularly spectacularly but should not present too much of a challenge for Soulslike veterans.

Assist Mode is basically easy mode and a welcome option.

8 Nioh 2 (Base Game, Not DLC)

Gives Players So Many Different Tools And Mechanics To Play With

Nioh 2

Platform(s)PC , PS4 , PS5
ReleasedMarch 13, 2020
Developer(s)Team Ninja
Publisher(s)Koei Tecmo , Sony Interactive Entertainment

Just to be clear immediately, Nioh 2 is not easy. Except for Ninja Gaiden 3, Team Ninja does not do “easy,” and this fast-paced Soulslike has dozens of challenging boss fights, group-minded Yokai, a special realm that limits the player’s abilities, hard mode Twilight Missions, and “optional” quests that need to be completed to avoid becoming under-leveled. As save points are quite far apart, there is always the risk of death resulting in a long trek back to recover any lost experience and Anima. Furthermore, after death, players are temporarily weakened until they recover their Anima, which is more punishing than most Soulslikes. The expansions are also very difficult and arguably harder than Dark Souls‘ DLC.

Looking to become an absolute menace in Nioh 2? Here are the game’s most overpowered builds players can run for fun and efficiency.

Despite all that, Nioh 2 gives players so many tools that they can effectively decide how difficult they want the base experience to be. Putting aside the various melee weapon types that should cater to most preferences, the ranged options are more than capable of one-shooting most human mob enemies, and the cannon can knock out substantial chunks of a boss’ HP. Defeating a Yokai could reward a Guardian Spirit, which can then be equipped to unlock special skills that are useful ways to destroy an enemy’s stamina bar and temporarily stun them. While, at most, players can only carry eight of the standard health items, they are dropped frequently by enemies, so it is easy to keep a full stock throughout most missions. When the Anima bar fills up, players can trigger a Yokai Shift, which is kind of like Devil May Cry‘s Devil Trigger. Although well-balanced and also available to bosses, this mechanic can feel like a “get out of jail” card at times, allowing players to get significant hits on enemies without risking much in return except for the knowledge that they will not be able to rely on it for a while.

If a player is having trouble with a particular boss, they can summon a visitor. Honestly, they are only good as distractions, but that is still helpful. Alternatively, players can use the Clay Bell of Beckoning to gather an army of cats and just watch a boss’ health bar melt away as they struggle to keep up with everything.

An argument could be made that Nioh is easier than its sequel, a claim that has merit. That said, its base game has a few more difficulty spikes than Nioh 2 .

7 Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Parry-Based Combat & Companions Are Everywhere

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Platform(s)PS5 , PS4 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC
ReleasedMarch 3, 2023
Developer(s)Team Ninja

Sticking with Team Ninja for a while longer, Wo Long Fallen Dynasty is quite similar to Nioh, just slightly easier overall. The Morale, Fortitude, and Guardian Spirit systems Wo Long uses are also incredibly inventive in the way they differentiate the game from others in the same genre and also serve to make the game easier in a way.

So, while learning the combat system and Deflect timing of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is initially difficult, as soon as players learn that they can just farm stages to get max Morale and make the end boss easier, especially if they have a co-op partner, the game becomes a lot more of a ‘cakewalk’ to get through.

6 Mortal Shell

Learning Curve That Pays Off

Mortal Shell

Platform(s)PC , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PS4 , PS5
ReleasedAugust 18, 2020
Developer(s)Cold Symmetry

Mortal Shell is one of the closest alternatives in terms of overall atmosphere and vibe to Dark Souls. Regardless, the world that Mortal Shell takes place in is dour, on the edge of ruin, and everything has this sour nihilistic flavor to it.

In terms of gameplay, Mortal Shell separates itself from the Souls games pretty heavily. While the core combat is similar, the Hardening system of Mortal Shell alongside the different “Shells” players can collect and the ‘Glimpses’ techniques they’ll steadily gather over their run do a lot to make the game feel different enough when playing it. That said, once players do get used to the core combat loop of Mortal Shell, it does lose a lot of the initial difficulty and players get a lot more confident in roaming around. It’s a fantastic title for any fan of the Souls games to play, just don’t expect Mortal Shell to leave players as an empty shell of themselves from the pure difficulty of the game as much as Dark Souls does.

5 Blasphemous & Blasphemous 2

The Type of Game A Catholic Crusader Would Dream Up

Blasphemous 2

Platform(s)PC , PS5 , Switch , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
ReleasedAugust 24, 2023
Developer(s)The Game Kitchen
Publisher(s)Team17

The Dark Souls series inspired a lot of hard-as-nails projects that attempted to replicate the success of the Soulslike moniker. While not all amazing releases, some gems take the concept of an overly difficult players-against-the-world mentality and craft unique adventures from it. Blasphemous is one of the best examples of a 2D Soulslike done right, while also mechanically differentiating itself quite a lot from the Souls series.

It’s a beautifully crafted, visually stunning title that has a beautifully poignant storyline, incredible bosses, and some seriously challenging gameplay. That said, it doesn’t feel as difficult as the original Souls releases at times, making it more accessible to players of all backgrounds. While the sequel, Blasphemous 2, is arguably more challenging overall, it is not quite among the genre’s hardest offerings either.

4 Lords Of The Fallen (2023)

Forgiving, Especially On A First Playthrough

Lords of the Fallen (2023)

Platform(s)PS5 , Xbox Series S , Xbox Series X , PC
ReleasedOctober 13, 2023
Developer(s)HEXWORKS
Publisher(s)CI Games

2014’s Lords of the Fallen was among the first attempts to replicate FromSoftware’s formula, and to say it was divisive would be generous. While this title is considerably easier (and shorter) than Dark Souls, there are just too many better Soulslikes out there to justify a recommendation (for example, the same developer’s The Surge games are far better).

Kind of a sequel but mostly just a standalone experience, 2023’s Lords Of The Fallen is more traditionally divisive, in the sense that people seem to either love or hate it. Ultimately, the game has a few frustrating mechanics that can grate on someone’s nerves, and the opening few hours are quite challenging by the genre’s standards. However, LOTR gets considerably easier as the campaign progresses, at least during the first playthrough. While that can be said for most Soulslikes, this title is a particularly egregious example.

3 Ashen

A Soulslike World Where People Actually Still Have Hope

Ashen

Platform(s)PC , PS4 , Switch , Xbox One
ReleasedDecember 7, 2018
Developer(s)A44 Games
Publisher(s)Annapurna Interactive

Elden Ring might have perfected the transition, but it was not the first Soulslike to try and go full open-world. A44 gave it a good go in 2018, and while relatively rough compared to more modern or big-budget Soulslikes, Ashen has a certain charm to it. Part of that might be due to the simple art style, which substitutes realism for a cartoonish timelessness. The campaign also has a fun town-building element.

Ashen is overall quite easy since it emphasizes AI partners more than most entries in the genre. While they are not present 100% of the time, they often make compulsory appearances during key areas or boss fights.

2 Code Vein

Anime Souls That Adds a Lot of Unique Mechanics

Code Vein

Platform(s)PS4 , Xbox One , PC
ReleasedSeptember 27, 2019
Developer(s)Bandai Namco Studios

Code Vein puts players in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic setting that players are free to explore thanks to the offering of an impressively designed open world. While fairly divisive, the game’s Soulslike mechanics, well-crafted levels, and interesting story make it worth considering at the very least.

The further players get into Code Vein, the more the initially confusing systems become more understandable. Additionally, with every subsequent playthrough (which are surprisingly long, by the way) players get to mess around more with different Blood Code builds and configurations, which usually ends up with them liking the game a lot more than they originally expected.

1 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order & Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

They Somehow Managed To Successfully Make the Star Wars Setting Fit into a Soulslike Gameplay Loop

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Platform(s)PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X
ReleasedApril 28, 2023
Developer(s)Respawn Entertainment
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts

In many ways, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s implementation of Soulslike mechanics was a testament to how far the genre had come. One of gaming’s biggest publishers, Electronic Arts, entrusted the gameplay style to one of their major Star Wars releases.

Fallen Order gave fans a much-wanted modern single-player Star Wars game that lets them play as a Jedi. Along with the Soulslike mechanics, the game also introduced aspects of 3D Metroidvania. The latter themes are well implemented, but they disappointed some players who would have rather explored more planets than backtrack to previous areas.

Thankfully, the sequel game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor improved upon a lot of these complaints and was a true successor, in that it was basically better than the original in every way. However, neither game is as difficult as Dark Souls, despite all the polish, interesting boss fights, and unique mechanics.